On 8 November 2022, First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko, held bilateral meetings with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo (pictured), U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose Fernandez, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Finance and Development Roland De Marcellus and USAID Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia Erin McKee.

During the meetings, the First Deputy Prime Minister stressed that it is very important to impose sanctions against the entire metallurgical complex of the russian federation, to provide access to the U.S. market for Ukrainian metallurgists as well as to help our country overcome the energy crisis.

Yuliia Svyrydenko called on the U.S. to increase supplies of anti-missile and anti-drone systems to Ukraine as well as equipment to overcome the consequences of shelling, namely generators, transformers, etc.

Meeting with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Yuliia Svyrydenko stressed that stabilization of the Ukrainian economy is based on stable exports. This is especially true for metallurgy.

“Steel is an area where we are particularly interested in expanding sanctions against the russian federation and gaining access to the U.S. market. All russian metallurgical products should be under US sanctions. To this end, we call for Ukrainian ore and other products to be included in the Western supply chain and replace russia in these markets. It is also important to equate Ukrainian ore and cast iron with products from the EU and to extend the exemption of Ukrainian exports from tax tariffs (at least until the end of 2024),” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

During the meeting with U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose Fernandez and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Finance and Development Roland De Marcellus, Yuliia Svyrydenko briefed the counterparts on the situation in the Ukrainian energy sector after the attacks of the terrorist state on critical infrastructure in Ukraine as well as the measures taken by the Government to overcome the consequences of shelling. The parties also discussed specific assistance that the United States is already providing and may provide in the near future to our country to stabilize the situation in the energy sector.

Yuliia Svyrydenko and Jose Fernandez also discussed promising areas of cooperation in the context of implementation of the Recovery Plan for Ukraine, in particular its energy component.

The Minister of Economy of Ukraine stressed that the Recovery Plan provides for the development of a green economy:  the energy system will be based on the latest technologies and carbon-neutral energy resources.

During the meeting, the parties discussed practical implementation of projects for the recovery of Ukraine, in particular the mechanisms of involving American companies in the implementation of projects, war risk insurance, etc.

Moreover, Yuliia Svyrydenko met with USAID Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia Erin McKee on the first day of her visit.

For USAID, the issue of supporting small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine remains topical, and the organization paid considerable attention to this matter even before the large-scale invasion. The agency is closely monitoring the measures taken by the Ukrainian Government in this area, in particular the programs supporting small and medium-sized businesses within the framework of the eRobota project. 

According to Erin McKee, USAID is ready to join the work in this area. The organization is currently working on mechanisms that, in particular, would allow to strengthen support for small and medium-sized businesses.

The parties also discussed energy efficiency measures. As emphasized during the meeting, energy efficiency projects, especially those contributing to the reduction of electricity consumption, will become one of the important elements of Ukraine’s energy independence and strengthening of its energy security.